Daily Readings - Sun Apr 21 2019
Acts
34So Peter opened his mouth and said: "Truly I understand that God shows no partiality,37you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed:38how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.39And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree,40but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear,41not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.42And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.43To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."
First Reading - Colossians 3.1-4 or 1 Corinthians 5.6b-8
Colossians
1If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.2Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.3For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.4When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
1 Corinthians
6Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?7Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.8Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
John
1Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.2So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him."3So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb.4Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.5And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in.6Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there,7and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself.8Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed;9for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the profound mystery of Christ’s resurrection and its transformative power in our lives. In the first reading from Acts, Peter proclaims the universal message of salvation, emphasizing that God does not show favoritism and that Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection are the fulfillment of God’s plan. This passage reminds us that the Gospel is for all people, and it calls us to be witnesses of Christ’s love and redemption. The second reading from Colossians encourages us to live with our hearts set on heavenly things, for our true life is hidden with Christ in God. This is a call to detach ourselves from worldly concerns and to seek what truly lasts. In the Gospel, John’s account of the empty tomb highlights the astonishment and faith of the disciples as they encounter the reality of the resurrection. The carefully folded linens and the separate cloth suggest order and purpose, hinting at the divine plan behind Christ’s rising.
These readings are deeply interconnected. Peter’s testimony in Acts flows from the event of the resurrection, which is the foundation of our faith. The Colossians reading builds on this by urging us to live in the light of Christ’s victory over death. The Gospel narrative of the empty tomb serves as the historical and spiritual anchor for both. Together, they remind us that the resurrection is not just an event of the past but a living reality that shapes our present and future.
As we apply these readings to our daily lives, let us ask ourselves: Are we living as people who have been raised with Christ? Do we seek the things that are above, or are we still mired in earthly concerns? The resurrection calls us to hope, to trust in God’s plan, and to live with joy and purpose. Like the disciples, we are called to enter the tomb of our fears, doubts, and limitations, and to emerge with renewed faith and courage. Let us allow the power of the resurrection to transform us, so that we may bear witness to Christ’s love in a world that so desperately needs it.